Chapter 11 #3
"My father told me about these termites that showed up in the South when he was stationed in Texas.
Caused a shitload of damage to some of the housing on the base.
He said the official narrative was that they accidentally arrived in shipping containers.
Then he said that was official bullshit.
Those bugs got first-class passage. Loads of them. "
Candace sat back and smiled. "Formosan termites."
"Yep. Those are the ones."
Candace nodded.
Claire shrugged. "I mean, I'm sure loads of things get here by accident. Just maybe not always. Ports are... porous."
"Are you sure you don't want a job here?" Candace asked.
"Hell no!" Claire said, then thought better of it. "Sorry, I just mean?—"
Candace's burst of laughter stopped everything.
She looked up when the door opened.
"I guess I'm late," Jameson said. "To a—party?"
"Only if termites are the guests," Candace said.
"We have termites?"
Candace shook her head. "We might."
Jameson closed the door, then pretended to inspect it.
"What are you doing?" Candace asked.
"Looking for bugs," Jameson said.
"Nah, Alex sweeps this room all the time," Claire said.
Alex covered her face and laughed.
"What?" Claire asked. "You do!"
Jameson looked at Alex. "Should I be concerned that she knows that?"
"Yes," Candace said, reaching for her shoes and thinking better of it. "But apparently, concern is the theme of the day."
Alex's laughter faded first.
Claire sighed.
Jameson went to sit beside Candace.
Candace rested her hands in her lap and looked at Alex. "All right. We're all here. Let's talk about your plans."
Westport, Connecticut
Dylan finished carrying luggage down the stairs and placed it by the front door.
"Thanks, Dylan."
"No problem."
"Are you sure you don't mind driving?" Eleana asked.
"Not at all."
"Dylan, I can drive. Your grandparents will ride with me if you want to make the trip with Maggie alone."
"Nah. It's fine. Maggie and I can drive back with Grandma and Grandpa."
Eleana nodded. "Claire asked you to drive, didn't she?"
Dylan smiled. "Actually, she didn't." He chuckled at Eleana's doubtful expression. "I promise, El. Claire didn't ask or bribe me to drive."
"I know she worries."
"I think it's more that she just wants to take care of you. But I'm sure she'll feel better knowing you aren't making the trip alone. I know I would feel that way if Maggie was pregnant."
Eleana smiled.
"And anyway, this makes the most sense. Plus, I think it'll be good for my grandparents."
Eleana's eyebrows lifted.
He chuckled. "I'm not playing matchmaker for Grandpa, either."
"Uh-huh."
"I'm not."
"Dylan, they live in the same house."
"Yeah, but it's big enough that Grandma can avoid him."
Eleana sighed.
"Listen," he said. "I get why she wants to."
"Do you?"
"Yeah, I do. The thing is, she wants to, but she also doesn't want to. I can tell. I think she's just afraid that if she has more time with him, she won't be able to?—"
"To not get back together with him," El said.
Dylan shrugged.
"Dylan, I know Rose loves Jim. But speaking as a mother, I cannot begin to imagine how angry she is with him."
He sighed. "Yeah. I know."
"You do, and yet, you can't," Eleana said.
She held up her hand. "I know that both you and Claire want everyone to come together the way it was before your grandfather left again.
And believe it or not, I understand that.
You may not think so, but your mom and grandmother want that, too.
And I think, in time, they'll find a way to be close again.
But that has to be on your mom's and grandmother's timetables.
You and Claire need to respect that boundary. Don't pressure them."
Dylan sighed. "That's not what I want."
"I know."
"The thing is, El, sometimes you don't get time to figure it out, you know? Sometimes, you never get the chance to?—"
Eleana's voice softened. "Dylan," she said.
"I understand more than you think I can.
I lost my mom when I was young, and it turned my life upside down.
It took me away from her family, and I didn't know what to make of my father.
He didn't know what to do with me. That's why I ended up at boarding school.
And while I loved my father—I can't deny that—I always felt a bit like an inconvenience.
I had so many questions. And there was no one who could answer them.
Not really. That's partly why you and Claire are so close. "
"What do you mean?"
"Claire has questions, too—about her parents.
And as much as she's grateful to know about Jim and Rose, you know—maybe better than anyone—that the people she still considers her parents are both gone.
It doesn't mean she doesn't love your grandparents.
But she spent her life being Claire Brackett, not Claire McCollum.
Just like you were Dylan O'Brien. Neither of you can erase those questions or the fact that, as much as you may hate what your fathers did, you loved them. "
"Claire hates the admiral."
"No, Dylan. She doesn't. Not really. Not underneath everything.
And that's what makes it hurt so much for her.
She hates what he did. But he was her father.
And she desperately wanted to please him—to find a way to be worthy of his love.
I don't think he had the capacity for that—to love anyone.
Maybe he was just broken. I don't know. I do know that no matter what Claire says, underneath it, she still longs to find something that will tell her he actually cared. "
Dylan sighed.
"Your mom knows that Jim loves her. So does your grandmother. And they love him. But his betrayals cut deep. Even if they can forgive him, they can't forget it. They need time."
"And if time runs out?" he asked.
"It might."
Dylan flinched.
"I'm not about to lie to you," El said. "It might. You have to let them figure this out. Even if it hurts."
He nodded. "I guess I know that. It's just?—"
"What?"
"El—"
"Dylan, what?"
Dylan offered her a lopsided smile.
"Is this about Maggie?"
"In a way."
"Is she pregnant?"
He shook his head. "No."
"But?"
"But it's something we want. Not this year."
Eleana smiled. "You want to propose."
He nodded. "Is that crazy?"
Eleana sighed.
"You think it's crazy."
Eleana chuckled uncomfortably. "I wish I could say I did."
He cocked his head slightly.
"No," she said. "I don't think it's crazy."
"Mom will."
Eleana smiled. "You mean Alex?"
He nodded.
"No. She's just concerned. You can't expect her not to be."
"I know. But I don't want to wait another two or three years. Not to get married. I'm not thinking we'll run off at New Year's?—"
"You'd better not 'run off' at all," Eleana said, chuckling.
He smiled. "But I'd like to plan, you know? For when she finishes school."
Eleana nodded.
"I want my grandparents to be there, El. All of them. I just?—"
"You don't need to explain it to me. This thing with Jane has rattled everyone."
"Neither of my fathers will see me get married or know my kids," he said. "Now? I mean, none of us knows what is going on with Jane."
"No. We don't."
"I know that anything can happen," Dylan said. "Sometimes, I think my parents forget that."
"They don't. And that's all the more reason they want to protect you."
"Yeah. I know. I want my kids to know their family, El. Maybe that won't be possible. Who knows? But it matters to me."
Eleana smiled warmly. "I understand, Dylan. I really do."
"And I?—"
"You don't need to explain," she said. "Just take my advice where your grandfather is concerned. Let your mom and Rose find their way, okay? Have a little faith. They're two of the most forgiving people I know. They just need a little time."
He nodded.
"So?" she asked. "Can we expect some sparkly gifts under the Christmas tree?"
He laughed. "Nah. I would never put Maggie on the spot like that."
"Worried about her answer?"
"No. But I think it's something that should happen privately, you know?"
"Yeah. I do."
"Anyway, I think you and Claire will beat us to the altar."
Eleana coughed. "I don't know about that."
"Don't you want to get married?"
Eleana sighed softly. "I do. But I want it to be the way Claire imagines. And I don't think me in a maternity dress is really her fantasy."
Dylan laughed.
"What?" El asked.
"El, come on. Claire doesn't care about that stuff. I don't think she cares about weddings, either."
"She says she doesn't. She does, Dylan. Just like you hope to have your entire family be part of your kids' lives—and I'm sure your wedding—so does Claire. She won't say that. And I know if I asked to go to town hall, she'd do that tomorrow."
He nodded.
"Because Claire will set aside what she wants for me. But she wants what she never thought she'd have. And me? I want her to have that. More than anything."
He smiled. "I get it."
"I know."
He took a breath. "I should load the car."
"Dylan?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't rush," she said. "Not because you're afraid of losing something. Do what feels right when it feels right to you—to you and Maggie. Don't try to plan around maybes or even probabilities. It never works. Trust me."
He nodded. "I do trust you."
"Good."
He cleared his throat and grabbed two of the bags. "El?"
"Hm?"
"Thanks."
"For raining on your parade?"
He laughed. "Nah. It just means a lot to me to be here—with Claire and you."
She smiled. "It means a lot to us, too, Dylan."
He nodded and pulled the bags through the door.
Eleana shook her head and chuckled. "Something tells me life is about to get a lot more interesting."
The White House
Candace sat silently, allowing Alex to share all of her thoughts before weighing in.
"Pete Ferro is an exceptional investigator," Alex said. "Believe me, I know that firsthand. He's the right person to find a trail to Jane."
"And if he can't find one quickly?" Jameson asked.
Alex nodded, then sighed. "Then the girls will need to report publicly that they've been out of contact with their mother."
"In other words," Claire said, "it will be time to file a missing person's report."